Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal may have one eye on lifting the Premier League trophy come May but Jamie Carragher believes that two players have stagnated under the Spanish boss, while claiming the Gunners are lacking a ‘natural superstar’.
Whispers of ‘could it be Arsenal’s year?’ have been doing the rounds since they asserted a healthy distance between themselves and second-placed Manchester City.
At the time of writing, there’s four points between two of England’s best sides and Arsenal have 12 matches between now and the end of term to keep their position at the summit.
Previous seasons, however, have sprung doubt over whether the side from north London will win their first Premier League title since the 2003/04 campaign. Carragher, though, does believe they will be crowned champions at the end of the season.
‘Lack of quality’ – Carragher claims two stars are underperforming for Arteta’s Arsenal
Carragher, speaking on The Overlap, claimed that Arsenal are, by far, the best collective unit in the Premier League but a potential downfall in 2025/26 could be due to a lack of quality in the final third.
“I made a comment about Arsenal a month ago on the back of picking my Premier League team of the season so far. People talk about their mentality – I actually think Arsenal have a great mentality. But their problem could be a lack of quality in the final third,” he said.
“When I watch Arsenal, I don’t think they’ve got an absolute superstar in the front four or five players,” the former Liverpool defender said, teeing himself up for his next point about Arteta’s men.
“I thought [Bukayo] Saka and [Martin] Odegaard were going to get there a few years ago. I thought they were ready to almost become the best players in the Premier League. I still don’t think Arsenal have got one of them.”
| Metric | Output | Squad rank |
| Minutes | 1569 | 8th |
| Goals | 4 | 3rd= |
| Assists | 3 | 3rd= |
| Shots per match | 2.3 | 1st |
| Key passes per match | 2 | 1st= |
| Dribbles per match | 1.7 | 1st |
| Crosses per match | 1.4 | 2nd |
| Overall rating | 7.19 | 3rd |
A Hale End graduate, Bukayo Saka has chalked nine goal involvements (four goals and five assists) in the Premier League this term.
Elsewhere, Martin Odegaard has become an much-maligned figure among supporters. The solitary goal and five assists in the league are not helping the Norwegian’s case.
“So people talk about mentality with Arsenal but what I think could actually stop them [in the title race] is actually quality. I think we would all agree that Arsenal are the best team this season but Man City have been there before even if it’s not vintage City.”
Wayne Rooney believes Arsenal are title favourites
There have been murmurs over whether Arsenal can finally win a Premier League title under Mikel Arteta, who replaced Unai Emery at the helm in late 2019. Carragher believes 2025/26 could be their year and Wayne Rooney is of the same opinion, despite believing they lack a certain edge.
“They have so much quality. I don’t think they have that superstar but they can win games and they’ve shown that over the last three years,” the former centre-forward claimed.
“Arsenal haven’t got an absolutely world-class player, a superstar that they pin everything on, but what we’ve seen is they know how to win games. Of course Man City can still win it. There’s still a third of the season left to go so anything can happen, but I think Arsenal will win it.
“I think they’re too strong and powerful. I think they win it because of Mikel Arteta, he’s shown the pressure in previous years but he’s handling it spot on this season,” Rooney concluded.
Following their visit to Molineux on Wednesday evening, important fixtures continue to come thick and fast for the north London outfit. They travel to Tottenham Hotspur on February 22 before hosting Chelsea on March 1.
